I can still recall the first time I laid eyes on a steam locomotive at Edaville Railroad in South Carver, Massachusetts when I was a child. I used to frequent this 2-foot gauge railroad, where I would always catch a glimpse of the Monson locomotives #3 and #4 chugging along a 1,800-acre, 5 ½-mile track that wound its way around the cranberry bogs. These locomotives, constructed in 1918 by Vulcan Iron Works, were the final two to be built for the Monson Railroad. And that’s how my fascination with steam locomotives began.
Back in April 2016, I got to witness the “Queen of Steam” in person for the very first time during the fully booked Blue Ridge Special journey from Spencer to Asheville, North Carolina. The Norfolk and Western 611 is the last surviving Class J 4-8-4 streamlined passenger steam locomotive. A total of 14 Class J locomotives were constructed at the Roanoke Shops between 1941 and 1950. Number 611 was completed in May 1950 and operated on N&W’s passenger trains between Norfolk, Virginia and Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as on the Southern Railway system. After being retired from revenue service in 1959, N&W’s 611 was generously donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
In 2019, I had the chance to see 611 once more. At that time, I was residing in North Carolina, just a short 25-minute drive from the North Carolina Transportation Museum. Throughout November 2019, 611 was involved in various activities, such as offering in-cab experiences and running on the museum grounds. The “Queen of Steam” remained in North Carolina for an extended period at the museum due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After some of the pandemic restrictions were eased and the museum could reopen with social distancing measures in place, I frequently visited 611 inside the Bob Julian Roundhouse. Every time I saw this massive steam locomotive, I was filled with awe. During her time at the museum, I had the opportunity to sit in her cab, which is an experience I will never forget.
More than a year later, 611 finally left on the Norfolk Southern main line. On May 24, 2021, the “Queen of Steam” began her journey northbound to Strasburg Rail Road. It wasn’t certain when she would leave the North Carolina Transportation Museum, but all the Facebook groups were saying it would be on Tuesday. My dad and I headed over to the museum on that sunny Tuesday morning. I was surprised that my dad and I were among the few railfans on the museum property, witnessing 611 moving under her own power. We managed to take photos of 611 as she made her way to the Norfolk Southern locomotive that would lead her to Pennsylvania. My dad and I headed north to catch a glimpse of the queen as it crossed the Yadkin River Bridge and climbed the hill near Linwood Yard at Lee.
Today, 611 is at the Virginia Museum of Transportation, patiently waiting for her next journey on the rails. I eagerly anticipate the moment she speeds past me trackside once more.
